Upgrading hardware and software early 2009 MacBook Pro

ZRL3 wrote:

Yes it is more web based platforms, for example I needed to use Prezi and I needed 10.12.

You'll need a newer computer then as your laptop cannot be updated to OSX 10.12.

Will software that currently is working fine, such as MS suite become problematic and not work eventually?

Sooner or later the MS Office suite will not be updated. You can continue using it, but you will lose out on any new features or document formats. Software that must be connected to the Internet will be the apps which will cause you problems because sooner or later they will not work because the developer won't be providing updates as you are finding out with Prezi.

What is ElCapitan? I will try the ElCapitan update as suggested. Thanks for your reply. I have t seen this as an option in my software updates, however I will follow you instructions and see how I go.

El Capitan is the name for OSX 10.11 which is the next update after OSX 10.10.5 Yosemite which you are currently using. Apple used to push the newer OS upgrade option in the App Store, but recently the upgrade has become hidden. Sometimes you may find a link to the newer version of macOS on the right hand side of the App Store, but it is much easier to just search for "macos" to find the latest version of macOS supported by your computer.

Definitely make sure you have good verified working backups before upgrading the OS just to be safe in case something goes wrong.

You should be able to upgrade your laptop to OSX 10.11 El Capitan. Search for "macos" in the App Store to access the El Capitan installer.

I'm currently running OSX 10.10.5 on my Mac without any issues connecting to websites. Of course I'm not using Safari, but Firefox and Vivaldi web browsers. Or are you referring to other software which accesses the Internet? Maybe you have other software issues or settings which are interfering. You might want to run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

If you do not have money to get another laptop, then you may want to consider installing Linux on the laptop. While Linux is not for everyone, Linux can greatly extend the useful life of a computer especially if you want to use it for web browsing. Before installing Linux, I would strongly suggest making a backup of your laptop and even create a bootable macOS USB installer first (verify you can boot both).

Ubuntu and Linux Mint are the two best Linux distributions for new users especially on a Mac. I don't recommend the default Ubuntu since it needs a very powerful system to run, but the other Ubuntu flavors (Kubuntu, Ubuntu-Mate) will run well on an older system with 4GB of memory. (Xubuntu and Lubuntu are other options, but have a much more basic look and feel). These other Ubuntu flavors still have the same core/base operating system as Ubuntu, but each one uses a different graphical interface (aka Desktop Environment).

You won't be able to download and run popular software (MS Office, Adobe products, etc.) when using Linux, but Linux does have access to equivalent software usually included in their own repositories (LibreOffice, GIMP, Blender, etc.). You will need to take the time to learn the basics of Linux since it is different from macOS and Windows. Make sure to do your research first so you know what you are getting into.

You can create a bootable Linux USB installer using Etcher (Mac/Windows/Linux). Just make sure to have a bootable macOS USB installer or a bootable backup so you can reinstall/restore macOS if Linux is not for you.

Personally I would not spend any money on an obsolete/vintage computer. Upgrading the drive and RAM will not allow you to install a newer OS. You will still have an old computer that runs old apps and an old operating system a little faster.

There's nothing you can really do to help with OS updates. Apple has discontinued software updates for all 2011 and earlier MacBook Pro models. That's just a basic limitation.

El Capitan should help since it has the Spectre and Meltdown patches.

ZRL3 wrote:

If I cant find macos El Capitan using a search, is that it? [sad face].

https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?ls=1&mt=12